July 11, 2017
Fit for Life Part 2
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV).
Friend to Friend
Through the years, God has grabbed my attention with an illness that drove me to bed or a crisis that drove me to my knees. He is a persistent Father who understands the value of rest. Jesus even modeled the truth that it is in Sabbath moments where we will find Him most precious and hear His voice more clearly. After all, He was in charge of the creation process that included the need for rest. Did God need to rest? Obviously not, but by creating a day of rest, He drove home the fact that our bodies were created in such a way that rest is not an option. Make no mistake – we will rest – one way or another. The psalmist writes, “He makes me rest in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2, ICB). I know from my own experience, that the word “makes” holds worlds of possibilities from God’s hand. Learning to rest demands an understanding of several basic truths.
Rest is sacred. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is sleep. The human body isprogrammed for a certain amount of rest. We can cheat it short term - but not long term. Rest affects the efficiency rating of this frail body in which we dwell.
Rest is replenishing. While we rest, the Father repairs and restores. We run on “batteries” that must be re-charged daily. When I am tired, it is much harder for me to handle stress, and I know you will agree with me when I say that life can be stressful.
Rest reduces stress. Doctors say stress can be good or bad, but either way, stress takes its toll. Elijah is a great example of good stress gone bad. One day he was the conquering hero. The next day we find him sitting under a juniper tree begging God to let him die! The poor man was exhausted. It was stress produced by victory, but stress nonetheless.
Rest eliminates fatigue. Fatigueis not a spiritual gift, but we proudly wear dark-circled eyes as badges of honor and sacrificial service. The enemy loves it! If he can keep us exhausted, we are no threat to him. We must learn how to rest and when we need to rest. I have discovered an irritating truth with no escape clause – we need to rest most when we have the least amount of time to rest. I don’t like it when God calls me from my vicious circle of daily life into His presence. After all, I spent a lot of time getting all of those irons into the fire. I planned and carefully built that fire with great passion in order to have a successful ministry. But every time I obey His call to “come apart,” He transforms meaningless activity into powerful living. We need to stop, be still, and rest.
Our bodies house the Holy Spirit. In what condition is your dwelling place for God? Is He pleased with His temple? A lack of physical discipline is a foothold for the enemy, an unlocked door through which disobedience and failure ride on the wings of Satan’s best schemes. It is time for us to embrace and apply physical discipline as a gift and commandment from God. We must trust God with our health and get fit for life.
Let’s Pray
Lord, I recognize my physical body as the temple of God. I commit to taking better care of my body by getting more rest, eating healthier foods, and getting more exercise. I will make better choices about how to spend my time in order to make health a higher priority in my daily life. I praise You for the gift of health and celebrate the gift of life each day holds. I trust You with my health as an act of obedience and worship.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read the following two verses of Scripture carefully. Choose to memorize one of them. How do they apply to honoring God with your body?
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Romans 6:13 (NLT) “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”
More from the Girlfriends
I know it is hard to deal with temptation when it comes to treating our bodies in a godly way. Need help?
I know it is hard to deal with temptation when it comes to treating our bodies in a godly way. Need help? Check out Mary’s book, Fit for Life. It will help you explore four areas of fitness and health - spiritual, physical, mental and emotional. Within each one of these areas, Fit for Life examines principles relating to rest, diet and exercise.
Be sure to check out the FREE MP3s on Mary’s website and connect with Mary through email or on Facebook.
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